Burn
by 10bananaboats
Summary: When Killian/Hook is put into a dangerous situation, Emma must risk her life, and her heart, to save him.


As Regina stalked into the hospital, only one thing was on her mind.

Revenge.

She might not be able to touch Snow while her precious Charming was crusading around, but _nobody_ was going to prevent her from indirectly ruining them…just as they had ruined her. And _nobody_ would be able to keep Henry away from her after the devastating blow she had coming for the Charming family.

"Regina!" Regina turned to acknowledge the interruption.

"Dr. Whale," she replied coolly.

"What brings us the pleasure of your visit?" Whale asked suspiciously.

"Just checking on our friendly neighborhood pirate. I'm sure it gets lonely being tied to a bed all day."

Whale chuckled. "I doubt he's lonely. Emma has been visiting him every day since he got bested by that car."

"Has she indeed," Regina mused. "Well, as always this has been a lovely chat, Whale. But I have a pie to deliver," she smiled as she held the apple pie out for show.

"I'm sure Hook will appreciate the gesture. He isn't too fond of the hospital food. Especially the Jell-O."

With just a smirk, Regina turned on her heel and strutted towards Hook's room. _Will these imbeciles never learn?_ she smiled to herself.

Emma sat on her bed fondling Hook's hook. She knew she should give it back to him. It's not like he could just prance out of the hospital unseen and in his condition. But a part of her, a very, very small part of her that was buried deep under her cynic exterior, liked that he couldn't not think about her as long as she had it. And besides, she had come to like their newly formed routine. Every day she would visit him at the hospital during lunch. She would walk in, sit on his bed, and try to hold her composure under his watchful gaze and, frankly, she had to admit, his exhilarating smirk. While she walked to his bed he would smile and greet her, every day the same _"Hello beautiful. I was hoping you'd come. Can I have my hook please?"_ Just the thought of seeing him today made her smile. _What time is it anyway? _she thought. _Only 8:30? Three and a half hours until lunch. _

"Hey, Emma!" Emma nearly fell off the edge of the bed and stiffened as the hook clattered to the floor.

"Hey, kid!" she exclaimed, startled. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Henry squinted at her. "It's Saturday. There's no school. What'd you drop? Is that Hook's hook? Why do you have it?"

_God, does my kid have to be this perceptive? _"Uh… it's just a coat hanger." Henry just kept squinting knowingly. "Come on, kid. Let's get breakfast at Granny's." Henry perked up at the thought of pancakes and cocoa.

"I'll get my coat." As Henry walked out of the room, Emma hurriedly picked up the hook. _Shit, I've got to hide this thing._ She quickly ran to her closet and grabbed her lockbox, where she kept her pistol before becoming sheriff. _That'll do_, she thought as she placed Hook's hook into the lockbox, locked it, and hid it under a stack of Mary Margaret's quilts. Emma had just pulled her jacket on when Henry returned.

"Ready?"

"Let's go! I'm ready for pancakes." Emma followed Henry to the door with a small smile and a quick thought of a smirking pirate tied to a bed.

Emma always enjoyed spending time with Henry. It always amazed her that, even though he was raised by the Evil Queen he turned out remarkably like her. Even though she was pleased, it did provide problems when she wanted to keep him in the dark about some things… like her growing feelings for Hook.

"Emma, do you have lunch with Hook every day?" he asked her on the way back to the house. "Do you like him?"

Emma was taken aback. _How did he know about lunch?_ "Henry, he is a pirate. Who helped bring Cora to Storybrooke. She's more dangerous than Regina. I don't like him. I'm trying to get information out of him."

"Is that why you bring him pudding so he doesn't have to eat the Jell-O? To bribe him for information?" Henry sounded skeptical.

_How does he know about the pudding! _It was true though. During their first lunch together, Emma had packed a pudding cup with her turkey sandwich. As she pulled it out, she noticed Hook glare in disgust at his orange Jell-O and then eye her chocolaty package suspiciously.

"What is that?" he asked, nodding his head toward the plastic cup.

"It's chocolate pudding. Eat your Jell-O."

Hook scoffed as he shook the bowl of gelatinous cubes. "This garbage? It's… jiggly. And as slimy as ogre bogies. You expect me to ingest this?" he asked as he cocked his eyebrow and poked hesitantly at the bowl.

Emma smiled as she rolled her eyes. She held her spoonful of pudding toward Hook. "Do you want to try this?" Hook narrowed his eyes in hesitancy. But he leaned forward, opened his mouth, and gently clasped her wrist as he put the spoon into his mouth. He didn't remove his eyes from hers. Hook gingerly settled back onto the bed. Emma, realizing that she wasn't breathing and still had her hand extended toward him, quickly dropped it. "So what do you think?"

Hook grinned wolfishly. "Manna from heaven." That grin…

So every day since, Emma had brought Hook a pudding cup. _But how could Henry know?_ she thought. "Henry, the more comfortable Hook is, the more he will talk. If I'm nice to him maybe he'll trust me and tell me what he knows about Cora's plans."

"Yeah. Sure. Is it ok if I hang out with Archie and Marco today? They were talking about going fishing."

"Uh, sure."

"See ya later, Emma."

It was 11 o'clock. _Maybe I'll pay Hook an early visit. See if Henry has been lurking._ Emma stayed at Mary Margaret's long enough to brush her teeth, grab a pudding cup, and change into her red leather jacket. _Hook likes this jacket, _she smiled. With one last glance into the mirror, Emma left for the hospital.

_It was just too easy_, Regina thought as she walked away from the docks. _And putting the mushroom into the pie was just a stroke of genius. _After Hook had passed out from the poison and shrunk, all Regina had to do was to stick him in her purse and walk out of the hospital's front door. No one would notice he was gone until Emma showed up for their daily lunch date. Regina knew the last place that she would look would be the ship. Hook had too much business to take care of. Pirates do not give up their opportunities for revenge. Gold was in town and emotionally vulnerable, thanks to Hook shooting Belle and causing her memory loss. _No. Hook wouldn't leave._ That's exactly why Regina placed him on his ship. Even if Emma did check the ship, _Well, _Regina chuckled to herself, _no one will notice a tiny pirate in a dark hull. _Yes. This was it. This was when Regina would finally destroy everything the Charming family held dear in their pathetic loving hearts. By the time Emma realized that Hook was on the ship, it'd be too late. Of course she would die trying to save him. _I'll make sure of that._ And with their precious princess dead, Snow and Charming will be crushed. _Their poor daughter…dead so young._ And while they're busy mourning the loss of their only daughter, it will be no problem to take Henry away for good. Regina grinned maniacally.

Emma strode into the hospital in high spirits. Coming early meant more time with Hook. More time with Hook meant she could hopefully find out how Henry knew about their lunch dates and pudding cups. The door to Hook's room was slightly opened so she let herself in. Empty. The room was empty. Emma walked back into the hall and saw Dr. Whale coming down the hall towards her. "Whale, where's Hook?"

"What?"

"Where's Hook? He isn't in here. Did you move him to a new room?" The look on Whale's face alerted Emma that something was wrong.

Whale quickly strode into the room. "He was here a minute ago. Regina just left half an hour ago. There is no way he could have gotten out."

"Regina was here?"

"Yeah, she came to see him. Brought him a pie."

Emma thought she was going to pass out. _Shit. _"Whale, what flavor was the pie?" It was a struggle to keep her voice steady.

"Uh, apple, I think."

_No! No no no no! _But where was he? People don't just get up and walk away while they're under the sleeping curse. _How did she get him out of here?_ "We have to find Hook."

"Emma there is no way that he could ha-"

"Whale, go check all of the security tapes to the hospital. Talk to everyone who has walked in or out of those doors within the last hour. Have people start checking every room of this place! And no one walks into this room until I get back!" Emma was already headed toward the hospital's entrance.

"Emma, he can't have left! We would have seen him!"

"KILLIAN IS IN TROUBLE!" Whale just stared at her. She couldn't keep the worry out of her voice anymore. "Just do it. Please."

"Okay, Emma. Okay."

Emma turned around. It was all she could do to not run out of the hospital to find David and Mary Margaret. They would know what to do. They could help. Even if they couldn't – _I need them._ Emma let out a solitary sob as she made for the Sheriff's Station.

"David! David!" Emma came bursting into the Sheriff's Station hoping to find David at his desk.

"Emma, what is it?" _Something isn't right_ David thought. He had never seen Emma this visibly upset. _I'll kill whoever made her like this_. "Emma, what's wrong."

"Where's Mary Margaret?"

"She went to Granny's to get us some lunch. What is going on?"

Emma took a deep breath to try to compose herself. "Hook is missing. Whale said that Regina came to see him about an hour ago and when I got to the hospital around 11:00 Hook was gone and nobody saw him leave. David, we have to find him!" It was all she could do to not cry.

"Emma, calm down. For all we know Regina's visit and Hook's disappearance are completely unrelated. Hook's a pirate, Emma. They're good at disappearing when they want to."

"SHE BROUGHT HIM AN APPLE PIE!"

"What?"

"David, Whale said that Regina brought him an apple pie. Hook wouldn't just leave. We have lunch every day at noon. He wouldn't just leave without – he wouldn't leave. Hook is in trouble. We have to find him."

Mary Margaret walked in carrying two sandwiches and two cups of coffee. She was about to greet David when she saw Emma.

"Emma! If I knew you'd be here I'd have brought you lunch." Then she noticed the look of terror and worry on her daughter's face. "Emma, what happened? Is it Henry?"

"Henry's fine. He's with Archie and Marco."

"Hook is missing," David answered.

Mary Margaret smiled with relief. "Emma, he's a pirate. They have a tendency to-" the look on David's face made her stop. "There is something you aren't telling me."

Emma couldn't talk. If she opened her mouth she would start crying. Luckily David talked for her. "Regina came to see Hook not long before Emma got there. She brought him an apple pie."

"Is Whale checking everything at the hospital?" Mary Margaret directed her question towards Emma. All Emma could do was nod. Mary Margaret looked at David. He was staring at Emma with a look that expressed anger and worry and… was that fear? Emma couldn't look at either of them. She was staring at the floor taking deep breaths. She didn't want to cry in front of her dad. "Emma, let's go to Granny's to get some coffee and make a plan. David, will you find Leroy and the dwarves? They should be able to help us look around town."

"Snow…"

"We'll be able to work faster if we split up." And with that Mary Margaret turned and walked out of the office with Emma close behind.

When Mary Margaret knew they were out of David's sight, she turned around and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. The gesture was so unexpected and so tender that Emma couldn't contain her emotions anymore. She started to sob. Mary Margaret stroked her daughter's back and hair in an effort to provide any amount of comfort to her broken child.

Mary Margaret pulled back and wiped the tears from Emma's eyes. There was only one other time that she had seen such a look of hurt in a person's eyes. And that was when she told Charming that she didn't love him. Mary Margaret stroked Emma's face. "Sweetheart, we will find him. Do not lose hope. We will find him."

It was 7:30 and there was still no sign of Hook. Leroy and the rest of the dwarves had been through every building in the town. Red and Charming had gone door to door asking if anyone had seen him. Nothing. It seemed Regina had disappeared as well. No one had seen her since she left the hospital. Emma had even walked to the docks to check if his ship was still there. It was, but there was no sign of him on it. Her faith in her ability to find people was waning. The only person she had ever wanted to find was nowhere to be found. The thought that Hook was lost and possibly hurt or – _No! _She couldn't afford to think that.

Mary Margaret scooted into the booth next to Emma with a mug in hand.

"More coffee?" Emma asked?

"It's not coffee. It's cocoa… with cinnamon." Mary Margaret smiled gently at her daughter. Emma looked beaten down. She'd been crying again. Her eyes were red and puffy. This was the worst part about being a mother: seeing your child hurting and knowing that there is nothing you can do to take the pain away. "Emma, maybe you should go back to the house and try to get some sleep. David and I will keep things running."

"I can't sleep knowing that he is somewhere out there. Mary Margaret, I…"

"I know, sweetheart. I looked the same way when I thought your father was going to marry someone else." Mary Margaret smiled sadly at her daughter, "But we found each other." Emma grabbed Mary Margaret's hand and held it tightly.

Emma was about to take a sip of her cocoa when David came running into Granny's. "Hook's ship is on fire!" Emma nearly leaped over the table and ran out the door with Mary Margaret and David following behind her. When they arrived at the docks, Leroy, Archie, and Henry were already there, along with half of the town.

"He's on the ship!" Emma choked out.

"Emma," Leroy contested, "the dwarves and I checked everywhere. He wasn't on the ship."

"No. He's got to be on there! Regina must have cloaked him or something. He is on there. I know it. I've got to find him!"

"Emma, you can't go on that ship! It's on fire!" Mary Margaret nearly shrieked her objection.

"I can't let him die! I found him and now I have to save him!"

"Well, then I'll come with you. It'll be safer with the two of us." David made to follow her.

"No," Emma objected. "No. I have to do this. Alone."

"Emma, that's exactly what Regina wants. She wants you to-"

"No."

"Emma-"

"Dad, no! You have to stay here. You have to take care of Mom and Henry."

Mary Margaret started to cry. _She called us Mom and Dad. She's going on the ship. She could die. _

David pulled his daughter into a hug. "I love you. We love you. Be safe, please." Emma nodded and turned to Henry. She knelt down and hugged him.

"Everything will be fine. I just have to go on there and get Hook and everything will be fine."

"Mom… please be careful. Please!"

Emma kissed her son on the top of his head and whispered that she loved him. She then turned and ran onto the ship and disappeared into the flames.

The heat was indescribable. The smell of smoke and burning wood was overwhelming but she had to keep going. _I have to save him!_ Hook wasn't on the deck so Emma made her way into the hull of the ship. There was fire everywhere. _How could it be burning this quickly? Magic._ Emma searched and searched and searched. Her eyes were stinging and her lungs felt heavy. _He's not here. I was wrong. I'm going to die and he is still lost._ Emma was losing hope quickly. The air was thick and heavy. Emma was about to go further into the ship when she saw him. He was tangled in some rope, propped against something covered in leather.

"Killian!"

Emma ran to him. She knelt down in front of him. "Hook! Wake up!" She was shaking him. "Hook! Killian, please!" she cried.

A fiery beam crashed through the room, barely missing where they were. _The main mast. _"Hook, please! You have to wake up! Please!" Emma was sobbing. She held Hook's face in her hands. He wasn't waking up. _Sleeping curse._ Without hesitation, Emma leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss was full of hope, fear, and desperation. She pulled back. Hook still wasn't waking up. _No! Please, God, no!_ Emma kissed him again. Nothing. "Killian, please! You have to wake up!" She kissed him a third time.

This time she felt an arm sneak around her waist. _Hook!_ She tried to pull away but he held her close and deepened the kiss. When he let her go, he smiled and she stared.

"Hello, beautiful. You found me," he said as he brushed the hair from her face.

"Hook, we need to go! Your ship is on fire. The main mast is blocking the way to the deck. We need to find another way out."

Hook looked around. "Bloody hell! It is, isn't it? Relax, darling," Hook grunted as he untangled himself from the rope and stood up. He patted the leather cover behind him. "A pirate is always prepared."

With a flourish, Hook removed the leather covering to reveal a cannon. "A cannon?"

"You look skeptical, darling. Help me move this." With Emma's help, Hook positioned the cannon to point at the wall of his ship. Hook wrapped his arm around Emma. "Shield your face, love."

"What?" Without another warning, Hook grabbed a piece of wood that was on fire, lit the fuse, and tucked himself around Emma. The noise was deafening. When Emma looked up, there was a large hole in the side of his ship. Emma could see the water. She almost screamed in relief. _We're going to live!_

Hooked strutted over to the opening in his ship and leaned against the wall. Emma walked over to him. "You kissed me." He was smiling.

"Yeah, well. Shaking you wasn't working and I wouldn't want your pretty face to get singed."

"Regina poisoned me. Sleeping curse. That's only broken by True Love's Kiss, sweetheart." He was still smiling. "How 'bout another for the road?" Hook grinned lasciviously. Emma grinned at him and moved closer to him. As he leaned in to kiss her again, she jabbed him in the ribs and shoved him out of the hole and into the water. Smiling, she jumped in after him.

The water was freezing. Luckily they weren't far from shore. Hook and Emma dragged themselves onto land and collapsed. Hook rolled over and propped himself on his elbow above Emma. With his hand, he brushed the wet hair off of her face and leaned down to kiss her before she could jab him in the ribs again. "I love you." Hook's gaze was so fierce and piercing. But it made Emma warm and she felt… loved. Emma grinned.

"I love you too."

"I wouldn't have been able to tell you that I loved you if you didn't." Hook gave her a quick kiss again and got to his feet. He held his hand out to her. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go say hello to the family."

David and Mary Margaret hadn't stopped pacing since Emma disappeared onto the ship. Henry hadn't stopped staring at the ship. Mary Margaret was about to start another lap when Henry yelled, "Mom!"

The three of them took off running. Emma saw Henry and her parents running along the beach towards them. She started running and dropped to her knees as Henry flew into her arms. "Mom, you're ok! You made it! I knew you'd make it!"

"I'm ok. I'm ok." Emma was crying. Henry pulled away and smiled at his mom. He looked at Hook and grinned the grin only a child could give. Much to Hook's surprise, Henry walked to him and hugged him tightly. "She saved you," he smiled.

"No, lad. I think we saved each other." Hook and Emma stared, smiling stupidly at each other.

David and Mary Margaret hugged their daughter. Mary Margaret hugged Hook and patted his face as she smiled at him. David shook his hand. They stepped back and watched their daughter and grandson with Hook. _She's in love_, Mary Margaret smiled. She was watching them with joy when she heard her husband scoff and saw him shake his head. "What is it, Charming?"

"He's a pirate. Of all the people…a pirate."

"Well," Mary Margaret grinned, "you fell in love with a bandit." Charming looked at her and grinned. And with that, Charming and Snow went to join their family.


End file.
